Clothing labels, getting ready for summer wardrobe

I've been getting inspired about sewing for this summer and now that I have two girls to sew for I feel like I need further out to plan. As I've been gathering fabrics and sewing patterns I've also been making clothing tags. Going through AJ's old clothes and trying to figure out the sizing has been a real guessing game when trying to dress baby G. So I thought I should start putting tags in the clothes. I used some screen printing paint, rubber stamps and unfinished biased tape.

The finished product turned out pretty good.

 AJ fits into some fives and some fours so next up are some four tags. I anticipate baby G being in 12 month clothes this summer. She's getting longer!
Also here's a link for giggles have a great day! Elmo Pizza Box dance Love that Sesame Street.

New curtains

I have been slowly working on the baby's room to make it look more circus themed and its a slow evolution but I'm pleased with some of the results. This week I finished her curtains. I even added some blackout backing to them to make her room darker for naps. The pictures turned out dark because of the blackout fabric. AJ told me the curtains remind her of a cake because of the ruffles. Also our other news is that AJ lost her first tooth this week. She was eating her "cheese between" breakfast sandwich and came to me and said "I think my tooth fell out!" She said that at first "I thought it was a hard piece of cheese and spit it out to ask you if it was my tooth." Much excitement! While one looses a tooth the other one is getting a new tooth. Good times.

Finished project for me and some works in progress

Here is the finished project that was solely for me. I love selfish sewing like this and this is the first piece of satisfying sewing I've done for myself since our little baby G was born.

Granted these pictures are terrible but you get the general idea of the peter pan collar. I would have used the timer on the camera but those pictures were even worse. And for good measure here is some baby goodness enjoying her time on the deck in the sunshine.

Her hair was blowing in the breeze and super adorable but I couldn't catch a good shot of it for the blog. Finally here are two works in progress that I hope turn out well. One is for the baby's circus themed room and the other is for a place in the house yet to be determined. I loved the shape of the lamp but it needs paint or polish, not sure which one. The carousel is cute but I think it needs to be painted white. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Handmade Christmas

As promised to my sister here are some of the handmade items I gave to my two sweet peas this Christmas.

This is the Red Riding Hood cape and basket I made AJ for dress-up/pretend. Hopefully she can get out in the backyard soon and run around collecting sticks.

This is the blue velvet dress I made for little baby G. It has gray buttons made from shells and the bloomers have a little dutch tulip pattern.

This is a house coat for AJ from the book Making Children's Clothes. I ran out of the Hello Kitty fabric so had to substitute the pink polka dot fabric.

And this is my current project for myself. I drafted a peter pan collar for a Simplicity pattern using the peter pan collar tutorial on Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. A great reference blog for sewing garments. I'll let you know how it turns out! Its been a good low key challenge for me. Have a great day and happy sewing!

Winter wardrobe for the 4 year old

This post was to be published this past fall but I just couldn't get around to it.  So here are some of the clothes I sewed for AJ's winter wardrobe. 

This dress was made with the Crafty Cloe series from Heather Ross at Hancocks. You can see that it is a Simplicity pattern since I scribbled it on the chalkboard.

The shift dress was a pattern that has been lingering for ages just waiting to be sewn. I've loved and hoarded that bird fabric for too long and finally cut into it. The skirt has some velveteen ribbon around the edges of it that I've been waiting to use as well. Its from a childrens sewing book that I've used numerous times and continue to love. I will be back with some pictures of the Christmas sewing I did for my little ones soon!

Kiddo Christmas Crafts

As promised here are the crafts AJ and I worked on this past month.  I love doing crafts with her at this time of year but I have to say that with the sleep deprivation a six month old brings, I had a little less patience this year. 

This is the Snow village we worked on together for over a week.  We did it in bits and pieces, painted the doors and windows one day, the tubes another and applied the glitter on another day.  You can't tell from the picture but the roofs have "snow" on them as well as around the bottom of the houses.  Next to one of the houses is a purple snowman made from pom poms.  This was another craft we were meant to do together but just turned into me completing.  There were more of these little guys but AJ has misplaced them and we haven't a clue where they are now.

 

Notice the ric rac scarf blowing in the wind. 

 



These are a couple of the salt dough ornaments we made for everyone we could think of.  These two belong to two of AJ's friends in Kansas City we just haven't mailed them yet.  I added strips of fabric scraps to the ornaments for hanging.   

This is wrapping paper that AJ and I made.  I just took a huge roll of craft paper and rolled in across the kitchen floor then poured red and white paint out and let AJ walk across it with painted white feet and stamp it with red hands.  She seemed to love it and at several points when I'd point out a spot with no prints she'd say "I've got it Mom, I know how to do it!"  So grown up. 

Here it is on a package to Nana and Pop pop.  AJ picked out the bow.

It turned out so cute and I think I'm going to have a hard time wrapping gifts with it and giving it away!  Well two more days until Christmas!  I hope all your Kiddo Christmas crafts have been fun this year too!

Ruby Star Wrapping: Newspaper Flower and Pillowcase Pouch Combo

This is my third entry for the Ruby Star Wrapping Wrapalong at Sew Mama Sew.  I combined the projects for the Newspaper Flower and the Pillowcase Pouch for this gift.  Instead of a pillowcase I made a lunch bag for my husband, afterall this is his gift.  I made it with some of my "man fabrics" that really rarely get used.  First I screenprinted the brown fabric with a screenprint I've had for years but rarely have used.

You can see that my screenprinting skills are rusty!  Anywho after I screenprinted it I used the dimensions of a paper lunch sack and cut out a lining and ironed on some fusible fleece I've also had forever and have been intimidated by for far too long!  That stuff is easy to use and GREAT!  I also squared off the corners to help the bag stand alone.  Probably the best tutorial I've found for that technique is here.  To cover up one of the stencils that went all wrong I made a heart pocket (ok I know its sappy) for a note or a piece of chocolate for Micah's lunch.  Don't worry I made the bag in such a way that you can't see the heart unless you open the bag.

See the other "manly fabric" for the heart. 

Then I added a leather button, again keeping with the man theme (rolls eyes) and to stick with the theme of the Ruby Star Wrapalong I added a big Newspaper Flower on the front. 

This is not just any newspaper, this is Sports Illustrated newspaper, again keeping with- you guessed it, the man theme!  Here's a closer look at the flower.

I think it looks like a Sports Illustrated Poinsettia, very Christmasy!  I included a surprise with the gift.  My husband hates the way most travel coffee mugs leak at the top so here is a picture of his solution to that problem.

Its a wad of paper towels and a produce rubberband.  So I decided to make him a cover for his new travel mug and here is my solution, now granted my solution looks a little bit like a Granny's night hat but it solves the problem of all our paper towels disappearing.

 

Wha-la, a new solution for an age old problem!  Eventhough this travel mug is not supposed to leak at least now if it does it can be soaked up by the manly-granny night cap!  If you are so inclined you should also enter a package in the Ruby Star Wrapalong contest and maybe you will be lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of that book...here's hoping I win a copy!  Well happy wrapping to all and to all a good night!